Bottineau County, North Dakota (KXNET) — Great Plains Food Bank is known for helping those in need. But this time, the Food Bank is honoring partners who help make that mission a reality.
Bottineau Food Pantry is one of three recipients of the Food Bank’s “Agency of the Year” award for its efforts to feed those in need in northern North Dakota. The Food Pantry distributes food on the third Wednesday of each month, but if you need food urgently, the Pantry is available 24/7.
“These boxes have the standard stuff you’d expect,” explains Tim Schrader, director of Bottineau Food Pantry. “Most of my clients are eligible for the EBT/Food Stamp program, so in a way, they don’t necessarily serve meals during the month, but it’s kind of a cake treat. EBT will be announced early in the month. We will choose the 3rd Wednesday of the month as we may be out of stock at that time.”
Schroeder said most of his pantry food used to come from food banks, but things have changed since the pandemic. Great Plains His Food Ever since his bank ran low on supplies, he doesn’t want the box to be too small, so he’s been shopping to replenish the other items in the box.
“If you have 30 items in a box, 60% of them have to go shopping,” he said. “We have Jason’s Superfoods next door and we do a lot of deals with them as well, and they give us great discounts and such. There’s also a great Walmart in there that you can buy from, not a discount or anything like that, but at least it helps given the volume of sales.”
The specific recognition given to Bottineau Food Pantry is the Passion Award, which Schroeder says is very fitting.
“Many of my volunteers are just so responsive with their passion,” he said, praising their efforts. “Unexpectedly, the truck is coming tomorrow, but it’s supposed to be Thursday. Without a doubt, it’s a passion.”
Schroeder and his volunteers said they never canceled a distribution date. We are also working hard to help people, regardless of the weather, the number of volunteers, and even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two other Agency of the Year award winners are the Garrison Area Resource Center, winner of the Service Award, and the Mercer County Women’s Action and Resource Center, winner of the Innovation Award.